Old Acquaintances
by Fish-Inton
Summary: SEQUEL TO NEIGHBOURS Fish, Prawn and Rad go on holiday... meanwhile the doctor runs into someone who holds important information about his ex-inmate... where will the roads lead them this time? **COMPLETED**
1. chaos

Yes, this is the sequel to neighbours.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own all lab experiments mentioned herein (Fish, Rad, Prawn, Twitch). I do not own any of Thomas Harris' characters mentioned in this fic... *sniffle*  
  
ENJOY!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"PRAAAAAAAAAWN!" Rad moaned.  
  
"WHAT!?" Prawn yelled at Rad.  
  
"Are we there yet?" Rad asked with a smile on her face.  
  
"For the..." Prawn stopped to think, "Twelve-hundred-and-ninety-fourth time, Rad, NO!"  
  
"Would you two just shut up!" Fish said to the arguing pair, now at each other's throats, attempting to throw each out of the aeroplane window, unsuccessfully.   
  
After Fish had said her farewell to doctor Hannibal 'the cannibal' Lecter, she had gone back to Prawn's not-so-secret lair and they had both gone back to the safe-house to meet with Rad... who needs no introduction.  
  
Now, one year and a half later, Rad, Prawn and Fish were on their way to Rome! In first class too!!! There was nobody in that section of the plane and so far, Rad had torn up seven seats, unsuccessful in finding feathers. Fish knew it was a mistake to sit Prawn and Rad together, so she moved seven rows back, completely fed up.  
  
~ freedom ain't all it's cracked up to be, old bean ~ she thought to herself, ~ 'ain't' is such terrible slang, my dear. ~ came the familiar metallic rasp in her head ~ ONE! I am NOT your dear! I am Fish as I know you know. TWO! I have plenty of paper cups in stock at the moment! ~ she knew she wouldn't get a reply because she didn't want one, another conversation in her head would tip her over the edge of the knife her sanity had been on for the last month.  
  
The search for the lethal madman had been closed, he was presumed dead. Not that Fish believed so. She was going to Rome, her sanity was going A.W.O.L. because she'd never actually travelled alone before... but Rad and Prawn made it that much more difficult. ~ CLING TO YOUR SANITY! ~ she mentally yelled, picturing the good doctor holding a sign, as if on strike... she smiled at that, then decided to sleep... it was her second flight ever and she needed to rest, especially with Rad to watch over.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Downing the last of his espresso at a small corner cafe was doctor Lecter himself, he'd had a pleasant life and had no need for a job, since his various swiss accounts held enough money to last two lifetimes.  
  
~ well, you are free... so... what now? ~ he thought to himself, ~ get yourself a lifetime supply of feathers! ~ Rad's voice resonated in his head.   
  
He'd found it was Fish when he wanted an argument and Rad when he asked a question, he couldn't stop the voices in his head... he welcomed them... the sane man he is.  
  
The doctor rose from his seat, leaving a hefty tip and then strolled down the streets of Florence, beating the early morning tourists rush hour.   
  
~ ahh... Florence, beautiful Florence, my home... ~ he thought, before entering the building in which his appartment was situated.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Once off the plane, Fish, Rad and Prawn had gone to eat... well, Fish and Prawn had gone to Burger King, Rad carried kitty-chow, setting off all alarms as she exited the plane with the tins. After settling all arguments between security guards and Rad, Fish dragged her to the luggage claims. Now, Rad, typically being Rad, saw the conveyor belts as a great source of fun... she cartwheeled all over them. Fish and Prawn pretended not to know Rad and collected the luminous pink suitcase belonging to Rad, the blue case belonging to Prawn and the burgundy case belonging to Fish.  
  
Fish, Prawn and Rad could not travel under their names and so had fake IDs made by Prawn. Fish traveled under the name Natalie Cookesley, Prawn under the name Hannah Patterson and Rad traveled under the name Marie Olivier, but between themselves, they were Fish, Prawn and Rad.  
  
"Rad!" Fish called, "Get off the luggage cart!" Prawn lifted Rad easily from the cart and put their cases on it.  
  
"Why?! Edward wants to go on cool cart thingy!" Rad protested. Prawn just kept her mouth shut and continued to walk toward the exit. Once outside, Fish hailed a taxi and made the driver lock the doors. Not that it would stop Rad. She discovered the electric window control and put the window down. Then, Rad stuck her head out of the window and howled. Prawn told the driver to continue to their hotel.  
  
"Rad, get back in the car." Fish spoke in a flat tone through gritted teeth. Her senses were giving her hell and her ears were hurting from the flight.  
  
"Edward is in the car. Ed's head and brains are out of the car!" Rad informed Fish from outside as they stopped at the lights.  
  
"FINE! ED, GET YOUR BRAINS AND HEAD IN THE DAMN CAR!" Fish roared, making the driver sit up straight in surprise.  
  
"You okay kid?" the driver, with the name Marco on his licence, asked Fish.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Okay then, whatever."  
  
"Rad likes taxi car place!" Rad exclaimed.  
  
"Could you put the windows up, please?" Prawn asked Marco.  
  
"Sure." Marco used his controls to put Rad's window up. Rad poked her head back out of the window at the last minute and ended up with her head stuck outside. Marco rolled it back down and then back up, ensuring that Rad was completely inside the car. Then she began to fidget in the car.  
  
"Rad... sit still." Fish begged, afraid of losing her sanity as she did when she was first 'created' in 'the beginning' as she liked to remember it.  
  
"Ed's feets is too hot!" Edwa- i mean, Rad moaned on.  
  
~ if she moans anymore, i swear i'll- ~ Fish began to think, but was cut off when Prawn produced a syringe from her pocket. Fish looked the other way as memories flooded her alrady aching head. She disliked syringes more than Rad.   
  
"Look at that, Rad! Mount Kitty-Chow!" Prawn pointed out the window.  
  
"Where?!" Rad looked through the window and didn't see Prawn give her the injection. "HEY! There's no Mount Kitty-Chow there!" Rad exclaimed.  
  
"Just five minutes." Prawn muttered to Fish.   
  
"It'd better work." Fish scowled, pluggin her ears with confetti from her bag.  
  
"Never fails." Prawn mouthed to Fish in reply and watched Rad as she became drowsy. It was only a sedative, but it was enough to control Rad for the time being.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
I've finally sorted out the sequel! Tell me what you're thinking... I need some feedback... 


	2. here we go again

DISCLAIMER: see chapter one.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fish and Prawn were getting very agitated with Rad. Once she had woken up, Rad had torn up all hotel pillows, throwing feathers all over the rooms and parading around with a food bowl on her head. Prawn and Fish were left to pay the bills. Fish had been especially pissed off when Rad threw as much kitty-chow as she could into the food processor and left the lid off. Now, there was kitty-chow up all the walls and on the floor.  
  
"It's all your fault!" Prawn accused Fish, scraping kitty-chow off the carpet.  
  
"My fault? MY FAULT?!" Fish yelled at Prawn, picking up a large handful of kitty-chow, "allow me to REMIND you that it was YOU who provoked Rad in the first place!" with that, Fish hurled the kitty-chow at Prawn... it hit the side of Prawn's face with a SPLAT!  
  
"Oh, for God's sake!" Prawn yelled back, hurling more kitty-chow at Fish... it missed and hit the door of Rad's room. At that moment, Prawn's face went white and an evil grin made its way across the face of Fish... a disturbing sight if there ever was one.  
  
"Oh, Raaaaaaaad," Fish called to Rad who was in the other room.  
  
"Yessy?" Rad called back, ears pricking up, eyes watching the TV screen.  
  
~ Mmmm... ~ Rad thought to herself, ~ 'the kitty-chow cats!' My favourite TV showwy! ~ she gave a small yelp of glee when 'the kitty-chow cats saved the kitty-chow once again'!!! WOW!  
  
"Could you come here please?" Fish's voice came again.  
  
"Yeppy." She said and hopped up to go see what it was Fish wanted while the commercial break was on.  
  
Prawn's face was still white as a sheet... Rad's kitty-chow had just been mistreated... this was not going to be pretty.  
  
~ oh... my... god... ~ Prawn thought, ~ prepare for the 'wrath of Rad'! ~   
  
When Rad first entered the room, she didn't notice anything, when she looked across at Prawn, who was covered in kitty-chow, she began to turn red... purple... blue... back to red... then stripy like a tiger... she gave a meow of anger and leapt to Prawn...  
  
"YOU BROKE RULE 710458 OF THE KITTY-CHOW CATS' LAW!" Rad screeched, Fish had to speak up and help Rad sort her argument out.  
  
"Rule 710458, section IV, no person or cat is to roll in, throw, catch, play with, stand on, or mistreat kitty-chow in any way under any circumstances." Fish hid a smug grin.  
  
"SEE! YOU VIO... VO... VIOL... BROKE THE RULE!!!" Rad managed before screeching again.  
  
~ somebody save me! ~ Prawn pleaded.  
  
Then, as if the prayer of Prawn had been heard, the 'kitty-chow cats' theme tune came on...  
  
"KITTY-CHOW CATS!" Rad did a jig of joy and ran back to the TV screen, doing a dance and singing along to the 'kitty-chow cats' song...  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
By the time the 'kitty-chow cats' marathon was over, Prawn and Fish had cleaned up ALL traces of kitty-chow and we're asleep. Prawn was stretched out on the sofa and Fish was curled up like a cheetah in the corner. Both were snoring... very, very, very, very loudly.  
  
Rad skipped silently into the room, armed with a GIANT kitty-chow cat soft toy... and a rubber chicken... she skipped around for three hours straight and then... she stopped dead in her tracks, fell to the floor with a thud and began to snore softly. She needed her strength for revenge on Prawn. So, now we leve the three in Rome and travel to Florence, to find our next subject.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
The good doctor wasn't usually out in the streets of Florence this time of night, but he felt like a walk.   
  
As he strolled, doctor Lecter caught sight of a large sign, on closer inspection, that sign read: STORM NIGHTCLUB...  
  
~ Hmmmm... STORM... I think I'll pop in and see what young people do these days... ~   
  
And so, the doctor let his curiosity take him to the door of the nightclub and walk him down the stairs, to the underground rave that was taking place in underground Florence...  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
How do you like it so far?   
  
Tell me and don't lie or I'll know... 


	3. tourism and stalkers

DISCLAIMER: see chapter one.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
The shady figure, veiled in the shadow, of the doorway across from the entrance to STORM, watched the man stroll along the street. Coming to wards IT... passing IT and entering the nightclub.  
  
Detaching ITself from the shadow, IT followed swiftly and silently... out of sight... into the club.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
The stench of alcohol was not enough to drown out the unmistakable scent of fresh arousal, infiltrating the doctor's nostrils.  
  
Doctor Lecter slipped through the crowds of dancers and sat himself at the bar. The good doctor watched as the people surrounding him laughed, talked, danced and... above all... flirted.  
  
~ well, it's certainly gone downhill in this respect... ~ he thought.   
  
~ at least I'm free... ~ he sighed and ordered a drink.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Gagh!" cried Prawn as Rad chased her around the kitchen with a rubber chicken.  
  
"Kitty-chow mistreater person!" Rad screeched as she ran, jumping over the breakfast bar. Fish came out of the bathroom then and saw what was actually going on.  
  
"Rad!" She yelled above all the noise, "if you don't leave Prawn alone, I'll confiscate all your kitty-chow!" At that threat, Rad stopped.  
  
"Gagh! NO! Rad is calm! Rad is good! Rad keeps all kitty-chow, yessy?!" Rad pleaded with Fish, distressed at the mention of no more kitty-chow, Fish had done it before... she wasn't one to make idle threats.  
  
"Good... now, leave Prawn alone, okay?" Fish raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Okies." Rad sighed and slunk sadly into her room, quietly shutting the door behind her.  
  
~ and then there was a brief pause, when all fell silent. That silence soon becomes maddening and we, like our ancestors, lose our sanity due to the silence we so craved all our lives. Without chaos, we fade. ~ Fish thought to herself.  
  
"Thanks, Fishbone." Prawn's voice broke the 'maddening silence' and brought Fish out of her reverie.  
  
"Whatever..." Fish replied. Prawn hurled herself on to the sofa and looked around for the remote. Fish poured herself a coffee and sighed.  
  
"So, what're you doing today?" Prawn inquired, looking under the sofa, falling off of it at the same time. "Aha! Gotcha!" Prawn got back on the sofa and flipped the TV set on.  
  
"Ummm..." Fish thought for a moment, furry ears twitching at the sound of the TV set. "Taking Rad out and about... you want to come?" Fish asked, taking a sip of coffee.  
  
"No thanks, I think I'll sit here and watch TV... besides, Rad'll probably kill me... and if we get any calls, I can call you, to... erm... tell you we've been called!"  
  
"Suit yourself." with that, Fish disappeared into her room, then went to go get Rad.  
  
* 25 minutes later *  
  
"We're going now, okay?" Fish called from the front door of their room.  
  
"Sure, I'll be right here." Prawn called back.  
  
"See ya round..." Fish said, closing the door and walking towards the elevator... her mission: Rome.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Doctor Lecter was back outside and thankful for the fresh air... as was the shadow.  
  
Doctor Lecter began to walk back to his appartment at a leisurely speed, the shadow followed.  
  
After about three minutes of walking, the doctor became aware that he was being followed by someone... or something... He began to jog, as did the follower.  
  
~ what is this? ~ the good doctor thougth as he broke into a sprint.  
  
The shadow made a mistake and accidentally over-ran, hitting the doctor square in the back. Both shadow and cannibal staggered, fell and rolled for about five metres down the street. The shadow moved, the doctor looked at his follower... 


	4. Twitch

DISCLAIMER: see chapter one.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
there were red eyes, then there were RED eyes, and he had RED eyes!  
  
~ weird! ~ thought the shadow.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked IT. IT did not respond. "Who ARE you?" he repeated. Fish was right, he was weird, and impatient. IT decided to reply.  
  
"I am Twitch, you know Fish... we're the same." She stated, the look of disbelief in his eyes was priceless.   
  
"YOU know Fish? As in Fish Pants? As in crazy Rad and Fish-"  
  
"And the mysterious Prawn." Twitch finished for him. "You know what we are... right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well... I'm the one before Prawn, although she likes to think she was the first to be created... I've been out longer."  
  
"So, what are you?"  
  
"Rabbit and human... you?"  
  
"Cannibal."  
  
"When you put it like that, there's hardly any difference!" She joked, he couldn't help but smile.  
  
"So, how many of you ARE there?" he asked, "no offence if I have offended you in any way."  
  
"No, it's okay... about..." 'Twitch' stopped to think, "Two others, so about seven, I lost contact with them though." the doctor thought he saw sadness in her eyes...  
  
... her eyes...  
  
... they were...  
  
... red, not like his maroon eyes, but they were BLOOD red...  
  
... and the moon was reflected back at him through them.  
  
"Right, well, nice to meet you, Twitch." He said to her, standing.  
  
"You too, doctor Lecter... ummm... apologies for that little collision then... got a little carried away running there... don't run often... makes a change."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Fish called me." Twitch said, making conversation.  
  
"Yes?" the doctor's head snapped up.  
  
"She said she's got a lotta respect for you."  
  
"I also respect her in many ways." Lecter looked at the wristband Fish had given him, he'd still not figured out what she'd meant by the last thing she said.  
  
"You do?" Twitch raised a quizzical eyebrow.  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
~ I wonder... ~  
  
"Twitch, could you help me with something?"  
  
"What d'ya want help with?" she asked, he grimaced at her usedof the word 'd'ya' but pushed the issue aside.  
  
"Well, Miss Fish gave me a parting gift, her wirstband, and she said something to me i don't quie understand."  
  
"What did she say?" Twitch inquired.  
  
He smiled at the memory and immitated the voice of Fish: "If you ever wanna contact me, that is the key..." he trailed off, returning to his normal velvet voice, "then I had to leave."  
  
"Hmmm... can I see that?" the rabbit pointed at the wristband, Lecter handed it to her, "aha! It's a key, yes..." Twitch took off the label on the inside and turned it inside out, attached to the side was a skeleton key which had writing on it...   
  
-- FISH -- ID#: 017 -- cheetah/human -- 7156 --  
  
"What's that?" asked the doctor.  
  
"That, my friend, is all you need to find Miss Fish."   
  
the doctor looked at Twitch blankly.  
  
"Look, that's her codename, yes?" she pointed at the name   
  
~ FISH... yes... ~ the doctor nodded.  
  
"And this," Twitch indicated to the next bit, "this is her ID number, for the lab experiments."  
  
~ Hmmm... lab experiments... ID#: 017 ~  
  
"That is the DNA crossing, see, cheetah and human, like I am human and rabbit."  
  
The good doctor nodded again.  
  
"But this... this is the MOST IMPORTANT bit on the band," she pointed to the last number on the band. "This is her number, as in her number in all lab records, number of access to her personal details and how to connect to her thoughts."  
  
"Connect to her thoughts?" the doctor asked, it had started to rain.  
  
"Yeah, that's why we were the successful ones, WE can contact each other on a telepathinc link, but we don't usually. That link dies with us, so we can use it to find each other, if we need help." Twitch handed the band back to him. "If I were you, I'd keep this and never let anybody else know what I've just told you... it's one of THE most special things our kind hold in our possession... she must really respect you to give you that." and with that, Twitch faded back into shadow and slipped away into the rain and the night.  
  
"Key?!" The doctor thought aloud.  
  
~ Hmmm... Fish, thankyou... ~ he left the street and walked through the back roads to his appartment, where he slept peacefully in the silence of the fish... (sorry, couldn't resist ^_^)  
  
The morning would be a time to think about the mysterious Twitch and Fish... 


	5. Enriquepoo

DISCLAIMER: see chapter one.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fish had chosen a good time to take Rad out. It was dark now, the streetlights provided enough light too see by and there was a few tourists and locals on the street, it was still crowded and Rad was difficult to keep up with.  
  
"I don't care, Jeeves, I know what I want!" came a voice from the crowd. Rad's ears pricked instantly and she tracked the owner of the voice, grabbed his mobile phone and began using it as a chewtoy. The owner of that voice, a tall, blonde kid, took the phone from Rad and scraped the drool off it, inspecting the teeth marks covering the device.  
  
"Sorry about that." Fish apologised for Rad, who was gazing up at the boy.  
  
"Yeah, right, whatever." the boy said.  
  
"Hewwo! My name is Radical Edward!" Rad yelled out at him as he looked down at her, confusion evident on his face.  
  
"Erm... hi... I'm Enrique..." he turned to Fish, "you are?" Fish had to remember the names they had.  
  
"Oh, me? I'm Natalie... Nat for short... this is Marie, not Radical Edward..." Fish said to him.   
  
If it were possible, Rad's eyes would have turned to hearts, she'd fallen head over paws for Enrique... and was not going to keep it to herself. Rad hopped up off the floor and latched herself on to Enrique's arm.  
  
"So, Enrique, what do you do for fuuuun around here?" Rad asked casually.  
  
"Ooookay then." Fish continued to walk, Enrique followed, Rad still hooked to his arm.  
  
"Well, I'm not around that much..." Enrique began, Rad's eyes widened.  
  
"That's to baddy, why isn't Enrique-poo around that muchy?" Rad queried with puppy-dog eyes (on a cat?)  
  
"I'm a Beyblader..." Enrique said to her.   
  
"Like on TV!" Rad yelled out to the street, gaining odd looks from surrounding tourists and locals.  
  
"Sort of... it's complicated..." he said and trailed off.  
  
"Right, we really have to go now." Fish said and dragged Rad from Enrique's arm, whispering threats to take away kitty-chow from her if she did not come away.  
  
"NOOOOOOOO! ENRIQUE-POO!" Rad squealed down the street. Enrique ran away and back home, it was a good thing he had a Beyblade tournament to get to soon. He called up Kai who, in turn, called up Rei, soon, all of the Bladebreakers knew about the estranged 'Marie' and her friend, 'Nat'. Not that they knew anything.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Back at the hotel, Peking Prawn got a phone call.  
  
"Hey, Twitch!" she greeted the caller. "He did?! WOW!" she listened to the caller some more. "Yeah? No, I've not seen her for some time, they're out...yeah, I'll write it down... no." she waited for a second. "I've gotta go back to Washington, business... okay, see ya!" she hung up, scribbled a message and an explanation. Prawn then went out the door, with her suit case. She had a plane to catch.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Why did you not let Edward stay with Enrique-poo?" Rad moaned on for the fifteenth time.  
  
"BECAUSE! Okay, Rad, we can't risk it... we don't know if THEY are still looking for us..." Fish trailed off. Rad just followed Fish to their destination. Cat Country. A cat shop, Rad had to get a new chewtoy.  
  
"Ed gets to go in kitty shoppy?" Rad asked Fish.  
  
"Yeppo." was Fish's response. Rad grinned broadly.  
  
"THANKIE! THANKIE! THANKIEEEE!" Rad squealed with delight, gave a meow and ran into the store, doing a jig of joy when she reached the chewtoys.  
  
"Happy?" Fish asked, Rad just nodded.   
  
"How did Fishpants know cat shoppy was here?" Rad inquired, inspecting the chewtoys like a professional.  
  
"Saw it in the taxi." Fish shrugged and went to walk about the aisles while Rad made her choice. Fish stopped at the' wild cats' display. She looked at the models of cheetahs and lions sadly, she was half cheetah and could relate to the animals. It was like she could understand them at times, not that she could talk to animals or anything, she just had a connection with them. Giving a sigh, Fish moved on, she thought of what books to read next, she'd completed all of Dante, read Marcus Aurelius cover to cover seven times and completed all Alien comics, Sonic comics and looked through a few other libraries for anything interesting. Shakespeare had been boring for Fish, she wasn't into it all that much.  
  
~But I'm still young, there'll be more stuff worth reading around, I'm sure ~ she thought to herself with a sad smile. She felt empty and lonely. She had Rad and Prawn and contaced Twitch, but she had nobody to look up to, only dead people. She sighed and went back to the aisle Rad had been in. She wasn't there now.  
  
"Rad, are you here?" Fish whispered, she didn't want trouble.  
  
"Yessy, Edward is here!" Rad exclaimed, jumping from a shelf, new chewtoy between her teeth.  
  
"You want this one?" Fish pointed to the chewtoy.  
  
"Indeedy, Edward wants this one!" Rad said, happier then before.  
  
"Okay, let's go pay and we can go back." Fish said and led Rad and her toy up to the checkout.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Doctor Lecter stood before a giant bookcase, scanning all titles he had. He'd completed all of Dante, read Marcus Aurelius cover to cover seven times and even read Terry Pratchett's novels. A thin book caught his eye, he pulled it from it's place and sat in his giant armchair. It was an Alien comic book. He'd head that Fish read them with Dante and Aurelius.  
  
~ Go on, Edward knows you want to... ~ Rad's voice sounded in his head.  
  
"Nothing to lose, nothing to prove... no harm in reading it I suppose." doctor Lecter said aloud to himself and Rad and Fish. Opening the book, he sat back and began to read.   
  
Five minutes passed and the doctor nearly had his nose stuck to the book. He was interested in this... comic book. It definitely had been thought out extremely well, he loved the way the humans had no protection against the harmful acid the Aliens had. Ten minutes later, doctor Lecter finished the comic and put it bck on the shelf, then he went to his computer and cruise the internet for a second. In the space of five minutes, he'd ordered the next five comics in the Alien series.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Prawn, we're home!" Fish yelled to Prawn. "Prawn?" Fish questioned, looking into Prawn's room.  
  
"Prawnpants?" Rad yelled. She looked around the living room and found the note. "Fishie! Fishie! Look! Message for Bebop-Bebop!" Rad yelled.  
  
"In simple terms?" Fish raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Prawnpants left a note for youuuuuu!" Rad sang and danced around the room, laughing maniacally. Fish ignored her and read the note, it read:  
  
###  
  
FISH,  
  
TWITCH CALLED. HAS CONTACT WITH DOCTOR LECTER.  
  
I HAVE LEFT FOR D.C. BUSINESS...  
  
CIAO!  
  
P.P.  
  
###  
  
"Peking Prawn, thank you so much." Fish said to herself and put the note in her pocket. Twitch had called once, she'd call again, Fish would be here when she did. 


	6. a confusing conversation and a devious p...

Twitch sat at the empty cafe, it was too early for the tourists to be up and about now, she had that advantage. After seeing the sun rise, she left a hefty tip and walked down the street. If one observed very, very closely, one would almost certainly detect a slight bounce in her step.  
  
Twitch went up to a phone booth and put some change into the machine, she dialed. One ring, two rings, three rings...  
  
"Super Chicken?" came a tired voice.  
  
"Guess again... not that I'd mind having super powers and a cereal brand, but hey!" Twitch spoke into the reciever.  
  
"Twitch?!"  
  
"The one and only... I trust Prawn delivered my message."  
  
"Well, she left a note, what do you know?"  
  
"I know that you're as impatient as HE is." Twitch commented, recieving a chuckle from Fish.  
  
"Probably... so, what do you know?"  
  
"I know he's here." Twitch said casually.  
  
"Where's here?" Fish queried.  
  
"Why, here is here, of course... where else would I be? There?" Twitch chuckled at the idea of being there when she is really here.  
  
"Where's there?" Fish asked.  
  
"You don't know where you are?" Twitch laughed, "I am here, so you are there."  
  
"Twitch..." Fish warned.  
  
"I'm here, so is he, but he is not here with me... he is elsewhere in here."  
  
"He is in the phone booth?"  
  
"DID YOU NOT LISTEN?!" Twitch's voice hinted her anger.  
  
"Erm..."  
  
"YOU NEVER LISTEN!" Fish could hear the phone being smashed around the phone booth. She hung up.   
  
Five minutes later, the phone rang again. Fish answered.  
  
"Do try to keep up with conversations, I've said before that I do not repeat myself." Twitch's calm voice sounded.  
  
"You just did." Fish retaliated.  
  
"Indeed. Back to the matter at hand, forget WHERE we are, just know that I know where he is and will tell you... in time. i shall not tell you yet, but I WILL tell you when I feel you need to know."   
  
"Okay then... what did he say when you met him?"   
  
"He was curious about our kind. I told him some information." Twitch replied.  
  
"What information?" No reply. "What information did you share, Twitch?" Fish demanded an answer. She was answered with the dial tone.  
  
Twitch walked away from the phone booth, she sat again at the cafe and ordered another mocha. Two tourists, both with English accents, were sitting at the table across from her, she could hear their converations.  
  
"And Benji... oh my god!" said the tall one.  
  
"I know, but... Chester... come on!" the other said. They were discussing guys...Twitch sighed and looked to the sky, the sun had come up now and the sky was lighting up.  
  
"Whatever, anyways, what're we going to do about this... thing..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Our new version of Faust..."  
  
"Oh, well... I suggest we invite all the top members of society."  
  
"Such as..."  
  
"Erm..." Twitch saw her chance.  
  
"Did i hear something about top members of society? Are you having troubles? I can help you out if you need any." She butted in.  
  
"Erm..."  
  
"You are?" asked the tall one again.  
  
"My name is... Laura... Haxell... you are?" Twitch asked, apparently, the two believed her fake name.  
  
"I am Lucy Madden and this is Catherine Latarche." Said the tall one.  
  
"I heard your uncertain answers and wondered if you'd like some help on whatever it is you're planning."  
  
"It's the new Faust production, and yes, we need help." Catherine said to Twitch.  
  
"It would be jolly spiffing if you could help." Lucy added to the end of Catherine's sentence.  
  
"Well, I can help out."   
  
"Good-o, old bean!" Lucy cried out in glee.  
  
"What do you need doing?" Twitch inquired.  
  
"Well, we need a guest list for the premiere of 'Faust', but we can't think of anybody, we don't speak a bit of Italian and we have this 'Faust' going on. Could you put together a guest list for us, Laura, it'd be wonderful if you could..." Lucy explained.  
  
"Sure." Twitch shrugged.  
  
"Take our card, for when you have the list." Catherine handed 'Laura' a business card.  
  
"Thanks, I'll call." twitch said and left, forgetting all about her Mocha.  
  
"Goodbye, old chum!" Lucy waved.  
  
"Cheerio!" Catherine called after Twitch who just gave a backwards wave and disappeared into the oncoming crowds of tourists.   
  
~ THIS ~ Twitch thought the herself ~ is perfect... ~ she gave an evil smile and went back to her home. There, she would create a list, call around and add a few guests of her own... this was where the fun began... 


	7. what to do?

DISCLAIMER: see chapter one.  
  
A/N: Join the Potato Ballians today! manicmool@hotmail.com [Lady Aisha Clan-Clan]  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fish was mulling over the interesting conversation she had earlier with Twitch. Rad was still asleep, so Fish had time to think. It was ten o'clock in the morning. Fish had woken up to watch the sun rise, then she had the call from Twitch.   
  
No sounds in the background had betrayed Twitch's location. Nothing. Fish couldn't smell anything down the phone line and Twitch hadn't let on the where she was... other then here, which was there... which was confusing.  
  
~ 'I am here' ... that was what she had said. If I was here, then Twitch was there, but where is there? ~ Fish gave a loud groan and smacked her forehead with her palm. ~ Where would HE be now? ~ She asked herself. fish had not heard, smalt or sensed Rad enter the room. She saw her chance and pounced, landing on Fish's back.  
  
"Guess who!" Rad said, wide awake and quite possibly hyper on oxygen.  
  
"Erm... I don't know, Peking Prawn?" Fish played along.  
  
"Nopey!"  
  
"Hmmm... Twitch, it has got to be Twitch!!!" Fish said, inwardly wishing it WAS Twitch, so she could punch her senseless because of the annoying phone call. Fish shouldn't have been surprised, after all, Twitch was Twitch. She always provoked people then disappeared from the face of the Earth for a few years before returning to haunt the poor victim. Now the victim was her, and the challenge had been set.   
  
To find doctor Lecter, Fish had to find Twitch.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Doctor Lecter sat at his desk, writing a letter to his cousin.   
  
It was not his writing that was on his mind, however, it was Fish and Rad and the mysterious Prawn...   
  
Twitch he had thought of briefly. She was an odd character, they all were. Completely mad, but in the most sane way possible.   
  
Like himself, they were too sane... so sane they were labelled mad. Or were they so mad they seemed sane?   
  
Doctor Lecter shook his head, he had managed to confuse himself all too many times since the meeting with Twitch. It was a brief meeting, but he'd discovered much about Fish.   
  
~ Miss Fish, where are you? ~ he studied the band and the writing on it...   
  
~ "That, my friend, is all you need to find Miss Fish." Those were Twitch's exact words... ~ he traced his finger across the writing on the wristband.   
  
~ "Look, that's her codename, yes?" ~   
  
"Codename, FISH." the doctor said aloud for confirmation.  
  
~ "This is her ID number" ~ he got to the next part, ~ "That is the DNA crossing, see, cheetah and human." ~   
  
"Like you are human and rabbit, Twitch." he muttered. "Like Rad is human and cat, like Prawn is human and half fox." he reminded himself.  
  
~ "But this... this is the MOST IMPORTANT bit on the band," ~ he stopped tracing the band at the number. ~ "This is her number, as in her number in all lab records, number of access to her personal details and how to connect to her thoughts." ~   
  
"To connect to her thoughts?" Lecter asked aloud. "I need to find Twitch again." with that, he finished the letter and grabbed his fedora and trenchcoat. Today, he would learn more.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fish and Rad stood at the 'PLEASE WAIT HERE TO BE SEATED' sign at the hotel restaurant. Rad had taken a particular interest in the large vase of flowers next to the sign.  
  
"Rad?" Fish got Rad's attention.  
  
"Yessy?" She replied, nose stuffed in a flower.  
  
"Could you do me a favour?"  
  
"What is that favour, may Edward ask?"  
  
"You may. I need you to contact someone."  
  
"Who you wanna find?" Rad inquired.  
  
"Twitch." Fish said quickly.  
  
"Twitchy eyebrows!" Rad exclaimed and hopped about for a second. "Yessy, Rad can do that."   
  
"When can you do it?"   
  
"Erm... later, okies?"  
  
"Sure... uh... Rad?"  
  
"Mmmmm?" Rad replied.  
  
"WHAT are you doing now?" Fish contained a fit of insane laughter caused by the scene before her.  
  
"Chewing on tasty plant!" Rad said, taking the flower from her mouth.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Rad is Vegetarian kitty... but soon, Rad will be a tiger!" she gave an enthusiastic roar and began to prowl about the restaurant.  
  
"Excuse me, sir?" Fish heard a voice behind her.  
  
"I am a SHE! OKAY?!" Fish said to the young waiter behind her. She hated being mistaken for a guy, just because of her short, spikey hair, it grew very annoying after a while.  
  
"Apologies, Miss." The waiter hastily said. "May I ask how may of you will be dining?" there was a scream then, followed by a roar and the noise of glass and china shattering and a table fell over.  
  
"Two." Fish said to the waiter with a smile. Rad always knew how to brighten Fish's day, even if it meant ruining somebody else's dinner plans. Later, she would be able to track Twitch and find out where she was.   
  
Later, she'd get her answers.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"I am a genius." Twitch said to herself as she quickly scribbled down a few names on the list. She'd add the rest tomorrow. The list read:  
  
GUEST LIST-- FAUST  
  
hosts:   
LUCY MADDEN  
CATHERINE LATARCHE  
  
guests:  
DOCTOR FELL  
MARIE OLIVIER  
NATALIE COOKESLEY  
LAURA HAXELL  
  
Adding the others to the list wouldn't be too difficult, she had found all the neccessary phone numbers for them and would also invite a few more of her own choice.   
  
Her plan was perfect... nobody would guess WHAT she was going to do... nobody would know until it happened... 


	8. and so the plot thickens

DISCLAIMER: see chapter one.  
  
A/N: Join the Potato Ballians today! manicmool@hotmail.com [Lady Aisha Clan-Clan]  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Twitch had the list totally sorted now, she'd make a couple of calls. One to 'doctor Fell' and the other to Fish. After all, a game cannot begin without all of the pawns on the board... not this one anyway. Giving a twisted smile, Twitch stood from her desk and put on her black overcoat, it looked like it was going to rain later...  
  
Yet no rain would spoil her plans, her plot...   
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Doctor Lecter, or rather, doctor Fell, strolled along the streets of Florence, browsing and looking for Twitch. She wouldn't be too difficult to spot, but Florence was a big city and finding one person could take a lifetime...   
  
IF that person didn't WANT to be found that is...  
  
~ To be unnoticed you must WANT to be noticed... ~ he remembered.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fish and Rad had decided to stay in the hotel room for the day.   
  
"Rad?"  
  
"Yessy?" came the muffled reply from under the sofa.  
  
"Uh... when are you going to contact Twitch?" Fish queried.  
  
"REVENGE!"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Erm... Ed can do it in a minute, Twitchy eyebrows might not want to talk yet. She might not want to tell yet."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Fishie pants only wants to know where Twitch is, so she asks Edward for help, but Ed knows that Twitch doesn't want to be founded yetty. So Rad will try, but Rad can't promise..." Rad explained.  
  
"Right, I got it."  
  
"I know." Rad nodded.  
  
"So-" Fish was cut off when the phone rang, she picked it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello again." Twitch's voice sounded.  
  
"Twitch?" Fish said.  
  
"TWITCHY EYEBROWS!" Rad sang at the top of her lungs.  
  
"Still looking for me?" Twitch ignored Rad's singing in the background.  
  
"How can I? I know where you are."  
  
"Alright then, where am I?"  
  
"Why, you are there, of course... you are not here, meaning you are there." Fish said.  
  
"You do know that is considered by me to be plagiarism..." Twitch sounded bored with her little game.  
  
"No... what do you want this time?"  
  
"I have an invitation for you... you either accept or decline, choose now."  
  
"What's the occasion?" Fish inquired.  
  
"Choose now, I'll tell you after."  
  
"Just a second." Fish covered the speaking end of the phone and looked to Rad. "Accept or decline?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"ACCEEEEEEEEPT!" Rad sang and began to dance about. Into the bathroom she danced, into the closet she danced, out of the door and down the hallway to the elevator she danced... Fish sighed.  
  
"We accept." Fish said.  
  
"Good, I'll tell you what is is then." Twitch said, a slight edge to her voice. "Remember you have that book thingy by Dante?"  
  
"Uh-huh."   
  
"Well, it's sort of like Faust, isn't it."  
  
"In a way, yes."  
  
"In that case, the invite is to come here to see a new production, an opera, of Faust. You game?"  
  
"And WHERE is here?" Fish asked, not expecting a straight answer.  
  
"Here? Here is not there, so here must be... Florence!" Twitch said excitedly down the phone.  
  
"Thanks, when will we see you?"  
  
"I'll send Rad the information when she connects." Twitch said.  
  
"How did you..." Fish trailed off.  
  
"My dear Fish, you are all too predictable..." Twitch said, sounding all too pleased with herself.  
  
"And you are a wise rabbit, my friend..."  
  
"I know, 'til next time, my friend!"  
  
"Ciao!" Fish hung up.  
  
~ One game ended, no doubt another just begun. ~ Fish thought to herself, wondering exactly WHAT it was Twitch had planned.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Twitch sat at the cafe, watching HIM walk along, obviously looking for something... ~ Or someone... ~ Twitch silently snickered to herself and stood again, moving into the shadows of an alley.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Doctor Fell sat at the cafe. He'd looked all over the main streets of Florence and not found Twitch. Mildly disappointed, he sighed and ordered an espresso. Not even a glimpse of her, no one...   
  
~ Maybe she left the country... ~ he reasoned with himself. It was a voice he didn't hear often and sounded alost alien to him. Before he could think of a mental response, someone sat themselves in the chair across from him and looked at him. That person had blood red eyes.  
  
"Good Day, doctor!" she greeted him.  
  
"Miss Twitch." he nodded.  
  
"Indeed... I'll get to the point, I have an invitation for you..."  
  
"Really?" Lecter said, lacking interest in the conversation.  
  
"Who woke up on the wrong side of the bed today then?" Twitch looked at doctor Lecter with her strange eyes, the eyes made him shift in his seat, "Yes, I do have an invitation, it's for a new opera, Faust is the name... are you game?"  
  
"Faust is not a game, nor is attending an opera." he informed her.  
  
"Whatever, you coming?"  
  
"I suppose so... when, may I inquire, is it?"  
  
"I'll see you before then, can't tell at the moment, I have a list to make, ciao!" she stood and disappeared into the crowds as quickly as she had appeared to him. His espresso arrived and he sat, looking at the cup for a long time, no answers would be given today...  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Rad sat down, looked off into space for a couple of minutes, unblinking, then she closed her eyes. For two hours, Rad stayed like that, sat strainght with her eyes closed. At one point, she inhaled sharply as if she'd caught scent of something. Then she opened her eyes.  
  
"What you got?" Fish asked Rad.  
  
"Can't tell you yet. Tomorrow."  
  
"You're in league with the Twitchians..."  
  
Rad shook her head in disagreement, "Nopey... the Sleevies."  
  
"Not them..."  
  
"Yessy, Rad has many in league peepsies she has leagues with... but Fishster wouldn't understand."  
  
"Obviously..."  
  
"Indeed... night!" with that, Rad disappeared into her room.  
  
"Yeah... goodnight, Rad..." Fish muttered more to herself than anyone else. She needed to clear her head, she needed a walk.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Yeah, great... yes, Lucy, the list is complete. I've sent it via the e-mail on the business card Catherine handed me at our last meeting... indeed... ciao!" Twitch hung up the phone, sent the e-mail and shut down the computer. She had another call to make. She used the speed-dial. It rang, once, twice, three times, four...  
  
"Carlo." Came a male voice with a strong Sard accent. He sounded tired.  
  
"Apologies for waking you, friend."  
  
"Twitch?"  
  
"That would be me."  
  
"What have you called for? You have more information?"  
  
"Where the monster is, his follower will be... I trust you have everything you need for the task I have set."  
  
"I do, my friend, I have all I need, when do you require our presence in Florence?"  
  
"Erm... two days from now."  
  
"I will be there, as will my co-workers. I cannot do this sort of task alone, you understand, I hope."  
  
"I understand, Carlo, bring who you must."  
  
"You have the money?"  
  
"I do, you have the traps?"  
  
"Yes, my friend."  
  
"In that case, I will see you in two days."  
  
"Where do I find you?"  
  
"You do not find me, it is I who will find you."  
  
"All settled, I shall meet you then, ciao."  
  
"Indeed." Twitch hung up. She had met Carlo three months ago. He and his brother Matteo were in Florence for a time with their two Sardinian friends, Piero and Tomasso, also brothers. She'd struck a deal with Carlo when she'd first worked out her plan. Carlo had agreed to assist her in the plot for a large sum of money, enough to get him out of Sardinia with his brother. So, naturally, Twitch had agreed.   
  
~ Soon, very soon it will happen... ~ Twitch smiled wickedly to herself and made her way back to her home. She had plenty to keep herself busy with... she could finally claim her revenge... it was almost too easy for her.   
  
~ One more call... ~ she thought and checked she still had all the fake IDs with her. ~ Now I can be free... and truly unique ~ she smiled again, but this smile was almost sad, ~ The future calls, and it requires sacrifice ~ she reminded herself and continued to walk home. In two days, she would be free of her clones... 


	9. shops, alleyways and rooftops

Disclaimer: See chapter one.  
  
A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated this... but here it is... ENJOY!   
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Yes, but you see, Faust is what it's all about now! We NEED this to hit the big stuff..." Lucy was convincing Catherine that all this Faust business was going to work out.  
  
"You mean you wanna impress a few old wrinkly scholars and get rich quick..." Cath simplified Luce's statement.  
  
"That too..." Lucy nodded.  
  
"Thought so..." Cath said and continued to walk on.  
  
"What's got into you?"  
  
"Nothing at all, dear Lucy, simply the idea of this... Laura Haxell... we don't even know her and she's doing this list..." Catherine trailed off, not knowing what she was getting at herself.  
  
"It's a list, Cath, nothing wrong with a list... like shopping!" Lucy grinned stupidly.  
  
"Speaking of which..." Cath trailed off again.  
  
"Let's go!"   
  
"LUUUUUUUUCE!" Cath yelled as she was dragged down the street by Lucy, who just wanted to shop.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fish and Rad sat at a cafe in Florence, they'd got there early. Rad still hadn't contacted Twitch. It was around two o'clock in the afternoon when Fish saw Him... as did Rad. Well, Rad saw Him first, just before Fish noticed. Rad crept from the table as Fish glanced around, wondering if Twitch was anywhere, then she heard a growl...  
  
Doctor Lecter was walking along the street, taking in what was Florence... he hadn't actually noticed Fish or Rad at the cafe, gawping at him. Hearing the faintest hint of a growl, he quickedned his pace, knowing that cats didn't like him all too much, dogs tended to cower... he still didn't know why, not that he'd put much thought into the idea. So it was deep in thought that he continued to stroll at a brisk pace.  
  
Rad prowled along the street, veiled in shadow.   
  
~ Heh... scary-reddy-eyed-annoyingy-dude-man-thingy, suffer Ed's wrath! ~ she thought, before pouncing, landing square on the good doctor's back.  
  
"Rad!" came a yell, mistaken by some as a growl of frustration one might hear from a big cat of some sort.   
  
Fish ran through the street chasing Rad, still on Lecter's back, covering his eyes with her hands. The doctor ran blindly down the street at full speed having heard a growl of frustration one might hear from a big cat of some sort. Fish couldn't be bothered to run, so she jogged, which was roughly the equivalent of a sprint to a normal human. Not that Fish was normal... as for human... only part. Fish tracked Rad and the doctor by sniffing the air, she followed from a distance.  
  
Lecter stopped finally in an alleyway, gasping for breath, the attacker on his back, hands covering his eyes.  
  
"Guess who!" came a cheerful voice from behind him.  
  
"Miss Twitch?" He raised an eyebrow behind the hand of his captor.  
  
"Uh... nopey!"   
  
"Ahh... Rad... or is it Edward? It's been sometime." he said to her, unmoving.  
  
"Grrrr... too smarty-smarty for Ed..." Rad said, unmoving. The pair looked like some sort of statue, since neither was moving... well, they were breathing... but otherwise, not moving. Fish watched from the shadows, waiting for one or both to move.  
  
"So," began doctor Lecter, "you still believe you are a cat?" he queried, eyebrow raising once more, not that he could help it.   
  
The whole 'eyebrow raising' had recently become a habit that he couldn't stop... everytime Lecter asked a question, his eyebrow would shoot up... mostly his left eyebrow, occasionally the right. ~ I could shave my eyebrows off... ~ he thought, then realised that Rad was really getting into his brain, never would he even dream of thinking of shaving his eyebrows off, just to stop a habit... which would no doubt return with his eyebrows.  
  
"NOPEY NOPE!" Lecter could feel Rad shaking her head.  
  
"Really? Back to a human now, are you?" He asked, doing the eyebrow thing... again.  
  
"Oh, noooooo... Rad is not human, nor is Rad a kitty-cat!" Rad informed the doctor, a note of amusement in her voice.  
  
"What are you then?" *cue eyebrow*  
  
"Rad is a TIGER!" Rad said, dropping to the floor and chewing merrily on his shoe, humming to herslef and giving the occasional tiger-like growl. "Mmmmmm... leathery goodness..." Rad drooled on the shoe. Doctor Lecter's eyebrow shot up once more when he saw Fish enter the alleyway and drag Rad from his (now drool covered) expensive looking loafer. Fish dragged Rad, now struggling in Fish's iron grip, out of the alley and to the street, where she one again threatened Rad with the confiscation of her precious kitty-chow and Kitty-Chow Cats DVD box set.   
  
Upon re-entering the alley, Fish noted that the doctor could not be seen. She stood in the alley for a second, then tapped on the fence panel to her left. One knock, two knocks... silence... then, one knock, two knocks from the other side.  
  
"Coming out of hiding?" Fish said through the fence panel.  
  
"Who the friggin' Hell're you?!" a gruff voice, not belonging to doctor Lecter, yelled back.  
  
"Sorry, wrong person..." Fish said and turned out of the alley again. Rad was leaning against the wall out in the street. "Let's go." Fish said bluntly, Rad just followed. The pair ended up at an appartment block, near a ladder leading to the roof. Rad read Fish's mind instantly.  
  
"Up the ladder and along the the roof, but watch where you're going, else you'll fall and go 'oof'!" Rad half sang and half muttered to Fish, causing her to smile.   
  
"Your words ring true, fellow traveller, but listen when I say: 'this is nothing new'." Fish replied, matching Rad's tone of voice perfectly. Rad just looked up to the roof, thinking of how to retaliate.  
  
"Ed is no 'fellow', Edward is a girl." She said as she leapt from the floor and clung to the lowest rung of the rusty ladder. Rad pulled herself up and signalled for Fish to follow. Fish also leapt, but being the taller of the two, she managed to get to the fourth rung, she also began to climb the ladder.  
  
The roof of the building was fairly flat, dotted with the occasional skylight. Fish and Rad kept to the middle of the building, treading carefully, moving silently and swiftly. Fish reached the next building with a leap, Rad hopped along to a nearer building and then went from there to the roof Fish waited on.  
  
"We'd better find him..." Fish said to Rad as they looked around for another roof.  
  
"Time to talky!" Rad exclaimed.  
  
"Indeed it is," Fish mused aloud, "I hope Twitch doesn't get to him first though..."  
  
"Ga?" Rad questioned.  
  
"Huh? Oh... nothing to worry about... let's go." Fish said, snapping out of the trance-like state she'd been in.  
  
So Rad and Fish continued to navigate their way along the rooftops of Florence, looking for an Old Acquaintance, oblivious to the fate awaiting them. 


	10. Faust

Disclaimer: see chapter one.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"I got it, okay! Look, we'll do what we gotta do... I know, I know, jus' do what you gotta do, you know why I'm here... cash? Good." Carlo hung up the payphone. As he crossed the wide street, an old grey van pulled up, he hopped into the passenger's seat and the van accelerated, looking for a parking space near the entrance to the venue for Faust.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Twitch looked around the open roofed theatre, it reminded her of The Globe in England, the place she'd first headed for when she escaped Cherrytown. Twitch tried not to dwell on her past, locking it all away... every so often, it'd come and haunt her dreams at night, all of the haunted dreams were of freedom, true freedom.   
  
~ To be unique ~ Twitch thought to herself with a ghost of a smile. Nearly everybody was present, only three were missing... the three most important guests, in Twitch's opinion anyway. Lucy and Catherine were conversing lightly with a few scholars. Lucy had overdone it a *slight* bit on the champagne and was swaying slightly, exaggerating her already exaggerated English accent. Twitch repressed the sudden urge to laugh maniacally, shook her head and mingled inconspicuously with the other guests, engaging in polite chit-chat, the plot on her mind all the time.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fish and Rad hadn't been able to find the doctor, they had been roof hopping for five hours, then Fish noticed the time. She grabbed Rad and lost her footing, sending the two of them into a huge trash can outside the entrance to an underground rave, someplace known as STORM... or so the neon sign stated. Once they'd climbed out of the sea of trash, Rad hopped on Fish's back and Fish ran, sprinting this time, all the way back to their hotel. They managed to get across town in ten minutes.  
  
Fish had made the mistake of allowing Rad to choose her attire for the evening. A pink jumpsuit. After a loud argument and three broken vases, Rad had agreed to wear something a little... less noticeable. Instead, Fish had kitted her out with a grey pair of trousers and a pale pink shirt, giving Rad the casually intelligent look.  
  
Fish had decided on a plain grey t-shirt, worn under a large black shirt, accompanied by a pair of black corduroys. The two looked rather casual, yet sophisticated... like their DNA! [ Shifter mentally kicks self for crappy line]  
  
Fish also had to hide the many Kitty-Chow Cats soft toys from the eyes of Rad, who hadn't seemed to notice anything amiss... yet. When they entered the living-room, Fish looked around, calmly, for any trace of a Kitty-Chow Cat. Then, Rad noticed what was missing.  
  
"Where is Ed's... erm... 'my'... Kitty-Chow Cats toys, Fishpants?" Rad queried, correcting herself. Fish had made it VERY clear how important it was to refer to each other by their alias names and for Rad not to call herself 'Edward' or 'Ed' since it would make people suspicious. Rad, being Rad (and Edward at the same time), decided this would make their situation so much more entertaining, so she decided to refer to herself as 'one' as much as possible and speak like a stereotypical English butler named Piddlesworth, (not that the butler has any relevance in the tale).  
  
"Erm... I haven't seen them... why? What's wrong, Mo?" Fish queried innocently, exaggerating the alias of Rad.  
  
"Ummm... don't worry... let's go, Nat." Rad said, exaggerating the alias of Fish more. Fish scowled and headed for the door.  
  
~ Teehee! Rad is gonna have some fuuuuuun! ~ Rad mentally hopped up and down, clapping madly. ~ FUN! ~ she VERY nearly squealed aloud, but instead kept it in her head, where she mentally hopped and clapped.   
  
Fish was about to hail a taxi when somebody put a hand on her shoulder. Rad squealed something that sounded like "FUN!" Fish could swear she saw Rad give a little clap and hop.  
  
~ I'm going insane... ~ Fish thought, ~ Wait... what am I saying? I AM insane! ~ she could have grinned at that, but then she remembered the hand on her shoulder. ~ Here goes ~ Fish considered her options then. To kill, or not to kill? That was the question... Fsh nearly snorted at that.  
  
"Gagh!" Fish exclaimed, deciding NOT to kill the owner of the hand, but instead to play the 'innocent' kid, just taking a walk.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." A voice came from behind her. Fish turned around to see a man. Well, a man, yes, but, to be slightly more specific, a man wearing... a chauffeur's uniform. Fish raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Who?" she waved her hand in the air, searching for words... hadn't she seen this guy before?  
  
"You're... uh... Fish, right?" he asked. Fish nodded... still trying to find the name to put with the face. Then Rad cut in.  
  
"Enrique-poo!" she squealed with glee. The chauffeur looked at Rad and backed up two steps.  
  
"Uh... yeah..."  
  
"How do you know who we are?" Fish asked, relieved that she could string together a whole sentence. She was instantly cautious of this Enrique-poo.  
  
"I work part-time for... what's her name?"  
  
"TWITCHY EYEBROWIES!" Rad yelled.  
  
"Well... Twitch." He said, keeping an eye on Rad all the time.  
  
"So, how much do you know?"  
  
"I can't tell you now, just come with me, I got a car waiting, you're a little late."  
  
"I know." Fish rolled her eyes.  
  
"Indeed..." Enrique looked from Rad to Fish, "Ummm... let's go!" he said and led the way.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Lucums!" Cath whispered under the table where Lucy had hidden.  
  
"I have a new idea for a new musical!" Lucy exclaimed, slurring slightly.  
  
"That's nice, but we have to-"  
  
"Bob the sausage! Bob! Sausage! Bobby!" Lucy sang from under the table. Cath sighed and left Lucy to sing, she had to find 'Laura Haxell' before the production began. Catherine caught a glimpse of red light, she followed it. The red was coming from 'Laura's' odd eyes.  
  
~ Probably some sort of pigment thingy ~ Cath thought as she slipped through the crowd of guests. 'Laura' was talking with a scholar and trying to make him understand a theory by gesturing madly, waving her arms. She'd chosen black. That is: Black trousers, black jacket... the works, all in black.  
  
Cath waited until 'Laura' had finished the conversation before approaching her.  
  
"Hi." Cath greeted her.  
  
"Heya. Everything okay?" Twitch, known to Catherine as 'Laura', asked.  
  
"Yeah, well... Lucy's drunk on champagne, but yeah, everything's fine." Cath replied.  
  
"Drunk on champagne? There is no such thing as too much champagne!" Twitch insisted.  
  
"Then Luce's just going through a time of extreme insanity." Cath said.  
  
"Most probably." Twitch shrugged.  
  
"You okay?"   
  
"Yeah, yeah, fine. Just waiting for a few more guests to show up." Twitch sighed.  
  
"Okay, I'm going to go and... umm... check on Lucy." Cath edged back to the crowd  
  
"Sure, whatever, have a nice time." Twitch replied and moved on, giving a backwards wave of her hand to Catherine.   
  
~ Soon, very soon... FREEEEEEEDOM! ~ Twitch sang in her head over and over, like a mantra.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fish had warned Enrique about the electric windows and told him it was best to lock them, just in case Rad tried anything again.When Enrique had said that he had a car waiting, Fish hadn't expected much, a mini perhaps, possibly a range rover. What Fish had not expected, however, was a stretch limo... with blacked out windows!   
  
~ Well, this is the life! ~ FIsh thought. Now, they were nearly at the open roofed theatre. Fish wondered who else would be there. She hadn't asked Twitch. She still hadn't seen Twitch. Rad seemed to know what was going on, all Fish knew was that she was in lorence to see an opera of Faust and to track doctor Lecter.   
  
~ I wonder if he'll be there... he might be... Twitch mantioned him a few times... is this a clue? ~ Fish wondered. The car stopped then.  
  
"Are we here?" Rad queried.  
  
"No, we have to take another of the guests too." Enrique replied.  
  
"Who?" Fish asked Enrique curiously.  
  
"Why," began a metallic and raspy voice, "you haven't forgotten me surely?" the door shut as Fish realised who it was.  
  
"DOCTOR!" she exclaimed, overcome with the joy of seeing him again.  
  
"The one and only." he said, nodding his head. Fish chuckled and the doctor raised and eyebrow. "What?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, it's just that... well, Twitch said that when she called me." Fish stopped laughing and met the unblinking gaze of the cannibalistic madman in the limo with her and Rad.  
  
"Grrrrrrrrrrr!" Rad growled at doctor Lecter.  
  
"Calm it down, Rad." Fish said to Rad, demanding that she behave. Rad just crossed her arms and faced the window.  
  
"Ahh, yes... the mysterious Miss Twitch... have you heard from her much?"  
  
"Nope, last I heard from her was the invite to this... Faust thing."  
  
"Indeed. That was also the last time I heard from the mysterious character."  
  
"She's not all that mysterious."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No. She just doesn't want anybody to figure her out. Like you, I guess."  
  
"And you..."  
  
"True, maybe I don't want people to figure me out, does anybody?"  
  
"I suppose not."  
  
"My theory is that we, the 'insane', are kept away for so long, we don't want to know ourselves anymore, we want to separate from our lives, go someplace else while life passes by... we don't want anybody else to know either."  
  
"Until we escaped." Lecter noted.  
  
"Yeah, but we're never gonna lose that, you know... we'll never let anybody in, never let them KNOW what we're all about. It's all screwed from there." Fish sighed and sat back as the limo drove on.  
  
"You're very intelligent, Miss Fish, never let anybody tell you different... I see your point in never letting anyone else near. It's true, I admit, that I have no desire for anybody to figure me out, I don't even know what I'm about at times. It's true, life gets all 'screwed' after escape, we are presumed dead, we must be dead... we must leave our past lives and live as a fraud identity." Lecter slipped into thought, realising how much he and Fish had in common. Their opinions alone proved how similar they were to each other. He thought then of Mischa. How much Fish seemed like a little sister to him. Rad also seemed like family. They were one big insane family, in a weird way.  
  
"Tell me what you're thinking." Fish said, bringing doctor Lecter out of his reverie.  
  
"Hmmm?" He raised a brow again, "What am I thinking? I'm thinking how much you, I and Rad are like a family... a completely insane family, but family all the same."  
  
"What exactly do you mean?"  
  
"Well, you just seem to be like a little sister to me. I don't know why, so does Rad, it's all very odd." Lecter shrugged, the limo had reached their destination.  
  
"We are here." Fish muttered to herself.  
  
"Hmmm?" Rad raised an eyebrow, imitating doctor Lecter.  
  
"We've travelled from there, to elsewhere here... now, we are here." Fish said in a trance-like state.  
  
"Whatever." Rad said and bounded up the steps.  
  
"Come, let's enjoy ourselves, I'm interested in this... new... Faust. I want to know why it's so different." Lecter said and walked alongside Fish up the steps.  
  
"Erm... well, it's not the same cast and it's a different audience and different people made it. When it's finished, I'll tell you anymore differences I spot."  
  
"I look forward to hearing your opinion."  
  
"Yeah... oh, one thing, except around Twitch, call me Natalie and Rad is Marie they're our aliases."   
  
"Got it. No doubt Twitch has an alias too."  
  
"No doubt."  
  
Lecter and Fish slipped through the crowd. They soon found their way to Twitch.  
  
"Hey!" Twitch greeted Fish and Lecter, "Uh... where's Ra-"  
  
"Marie? Oh, she's off getting champagne..."  
  
"Ah right, hello, ummm..."  
  
"Doctor Fell." the doctor bowed over Twitch's hand and brought it briefly and formally to his lips.  
  
"And?" Twitch raised her left eyebrow quizzically, her pixie ear twitched oddly then.  
  
"Natalie." Fish introduced herself.  
  
"Indeed." Twitch nodded.  
  
"Potato Balls!" Fish bowed.  
  
"Ga?"   
  
"Sfere della patata!" Fish explained in Italian.  
  
"I heard you the first time."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Tyson sucks monkey balls!" Twitch suddenly blurted.  
  
"How... interesting." Doctor Lecter said.  
  
"How... rude." Fish commented.  
  
"How very frank, Natalie." Lecter said, putting emphasis on the alias. Fish scowled.  
  
"I know, we should go and find Ra- erm... Marie... come on, doctor Fell!" fish put emphasis on the alias. Doctor Lecter scowled.  
  
"Right behind you." he said through gritted teeth.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"OKAY, EVERYBODY!" came Cath's voice, she stood on a table and addressed the crowd of guests.  
  
~ There must be over three-hundred guests here! ~ Catherine thought to herself. She panicked and suddenly fainted. A drunken Lucy then crawled up to the table.  
  
"LET THE SHOW BEGININGININ!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, hen fell off of the table, taking the table cloth with her. The crowd laughed heartily and made their way to their seats. Stagehands attempted to revive Lucy and Catherine, but to no avail.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Rad was enjoying herself. She had the urge to hop, clap and sing out "FUN!" again, but this time, it was because of the champagne. She'd been through three trays of it so far.  
  
"WOOHOO! Radical -hic- Edward is hy-hic-per!" Rad said, through a fit of hiccups.   
  
Fish and doctor Lecter slipped past the guests moving to their seats and found Rad, chasing the poor man serving champagne around. He held a full tray of Dom Perignon and was trying his very hardest not to spill any. Rad just chased after him, swaying slightly as she ran, somehow coping with her double vision. However, the double vision caused Rad to run directly into a stone pillar, KOing her for twenty seconds.   
  
The twenty seconds was enough for doctor Lecter to scoop up Rad and carry her to their seats, anybody would mistake him for a father taking his kids to the opera. Not that anybody noticed.  
  
"Can you smell it?" Fish asked the doctor.  
  
"What? The arousal or the anticipation?" He asked, setting Rad between them both.  
  
"Both." Fish said, allowing Rad's head to rest on her shoulder.  
  
"Yes. It's sickening isn't it." He said.  
  
"Yeppo." She agreed.  
  
"Ready for this?"  
  
"It's an opera... of course!"  
  
"Have you ever been to one before?"  
  
"Yes, back in London."  
  
"London?"  
  
"Yes, where myself and... Marie have been living since our escape."  
  
"Ahhh... I see."  
  
"Good." Fish nodded and looked around, Twitch sat at the front with two women, both barely conscious...one drunk, the other shaking with nerves from something. There were six men, all dressed in black suits at each exit, wearing dark glasses, even though it was night. Fish noticed this, as did the doctor. "Uh-oh."  
  
"Something isn't right." he said.  
  
"I wonder what they're here for?"  
  
"Probably our insanity overdoing it, just relax, don't panic." This caused Fish to roll her eyes at him, she pretended to hold a microphone to him:  
  
"Doctor Lecter, you have been ratted on, do you: A) run for your life, B) kill your captors-to-be, C) just act like nothing's wrong, or D) let them catch you? You got ten seconds." Fish said and counted down from ten in her head.  
  
"Hmmmm... you forgot E) let them catch you and then act..." Lecter smiled wickedly.  
  
"That's your plan?" Fish looked at him, stupified.  
  
"Indeed, it is, little sister, indeed it is." He said, giving her a quick hug.  
  
"Good for you." Fish said, wondering why he was so carefree.  
  
"I suppose it is." He replied.  
  
"Just shut up and watch the opera!" Fish raised her voice slightly, Rad shifted in her unconscious state, she snored.   
  
"Mmmmm... more pudding!" she said and woke up, stretching, "mmmm... I can't eat anymore."  
  
"Sssshhhhhhh!" Fish hushed her as the curtains drew back along the long iron rail holding them across from wall to wall, since there was no ceiling.  
  
"Okay, okay!" Rad whispered, sitting back, ready for whatever this... Faust had to offer.   
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Twitch looked back for a second, she saw Fish, Rad and the good doctor all in one row.  
  
~ This is all too much... ~ she thought, ~ a show and revenge! WOOHOO! ~ she mentally celebrated, not being one for operas, she switched off. She needed to think about what happened next. She'd called Carlo to confirm everything, the men in black suits were standing by.  
  
~ So much for men in white coats... ~ She thought, as music invaded her mind in the form of Faust. 


	11. capture

Disclaimer: see chapter one.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Doctor Lecter had enjoyed Faust to begin with, but soon after it had started, the men at the exits had started conferring, this alarmed him. Alerted, he acted as if nothing was happening, but it was obvious that something was wrong.   
  
It was at the intermission that he told Fish his thoughts on what was going on.   
  
"So, you think they're here for you?" Fish asked.  
  
"Possibly you too." He nodded confirmation.  
  
"And Rad..." Fish muttered. Doctor Lecter just looked around. For once, he seemed worried. fish noticed this and looked at him oddly. "Hey, don't panic, relax. Remember your plan, if they're here for us, let 'em come get us, then act. Where's the calm, controlled man I knew?" Fish asked.  
  
"Hmmmmm? Oh, I was just thinking... that plan doesn't always work."  
  
"That's how you got caught, wasn't it?"  
  
"Mmmhmmm..." Lecter nodded, looking almost embarassed.  
  
"Right, so why'd you suggest it?"  
  
He shrugged. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."  
  
"Yeah, but you're not exactly a dog... are you?" Fish raised a brow, the doctor chuckled.  
  
"Always making me laugh, I suggest we find Miss Tw- Laura and see if she know anything."  
  
"Yeah, she might."  
  
"I heard my name." A voice sounded behind Fish, startling her.  
  
"Huh?" Fish turned around quickly, "Oh, Twitch, it's you!"  
  
"The one and only." Twitch looked proud of that line.  
  
Fish laughed a little and turned to doctor Lecter: "Told you so."   
  
"Indeed, you did." He chuckled also, Twitch just looked confused. Fish shook here head and put up a hand to forestall any questions from Twitch.  
  
"We need to ask you something."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"Who are those men at the doors?"  
  
"Doormen." Twitch shrugged the question off.  
  
"Whatever, we just wanna know."  
  
"Why? Are they bothering you?"  
  
"No... uh... have yo seen Rad?"  
  
"No. Just come with m-"  
  
"RADPANTS!" Came a growl and screech, accompanied by several screams from the ladies. Rad had found the champagne again and was once more, swaying as she staggered towards Fish, Lecter and Twitch.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, please, do not panic, the situation is under control." Twitch said loudly to be heard over the noise Rad had caused.  
  
"Well said." Doctor Lecter nodded at Twitch.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Edward knows yo-" Rad began, but was cut short by a tranquiliser dart to her neck.  
  
"What the?!" Fish exclaimed, catching Rad before she hit the floor. Twitch just shrugged and moved into the crowd.   
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way back to your seats." She could be haerd elsewhere, yet everywhere.  
  
"Why that-" Fish began to fume, she never had liked Twitch. What was she up to?  
  
"Stop, breathe, calm it down. Let's just leave while we can." Lecter put a hand on Fish's shoulder.  
  
"Okay." Fish nodded, lifting Rad and putting her over her shoulder. "Where to?" Fish questioned.  
  
"Out the door, to the docks, I have a boat not far from here."  
  
"Boats... great." Fish sighed.  
  
"You don't like boats?" He queried.  
  
"No idea." Fish shrugged. "Let's get the hell outta here."  
  
"Well said."   
  
"I don't think so, dottore." A thick Italian/Sardinian accent sounded in the silent lobby. All of the guests had returned to Faust. Doctor Lecter and Fish turned around. They saw a man, a little shorter than the doctor, holding a net gun, another man, remaining silent, held a taser.   
  
"Oh? Why not?" Lecter queried, his face an emotionless mask.  
  
"You'll see." The short man raised the net gun and caught Lecter.  
  
"Doct-"  
  
"Get out now! Here!" Lecter threw the keys to Fish, "GO! NOW!" he yelled to her.  
  
"I don't want to leave you here!"  
  
"I'll be fine!"   
  
"NO!" she roared back at him, the cheetah instincts kicking in. She set Rad down and crouched low, circling around the two men. Lecter stared on, wondering exactly what she was going to do. Fish circled, keeping her distance, surveying the best angles to strike from. She couldn't take both men out at once, so she'd hit the one with the taser first. When she knocked him down, she could use the taser on the other guy, hit him over the head with it perhaps. It looked heavy.  
  
"Carlo?" The silent man spoke, the worry was evident on his face. He knew this kid was weird. They were only here for Lecter though. They took Lecter and left the two kids, that's it, then they get the money... that was the plan.  
  
"Just get him into the van, I'll deal with it." Carlo replied to the guy.  
  
"But-" The other man began to protest.  
  
"No buts! Just-" Carlo began to get angered.  
  
"Just what?" Twitch came into view.  
  
"Miss Twitch, I thought you were-"  
  
"Well, I'm obviously not. Go, now, here's your money." She handed Carlo a large briefcase. He nodded and left without another word.  
  
"Wow... Twitch, thanks I-"  
  
"Don't move."  
  
"What? I thought you-"  
  
"No... why do you think they know me? Where do you think Prawn's gone? You really think it was a business deal?"  
  
"She left the note... a business deal..." Fish shook her head, Twitch always did make situations difficult. Fish started on the net holding doctor Lecter. Then she heard the safety being taken off of a gun.   
  
"Don't move." Twitch's voice sounded.  
  
"What are you doing now?" Fish chuckled, another game.  
  
"It was all a hoax, Fish. You, Rad and your dear friend here... all worth a bundle... all going where you belong..." Twitch's voice sounded menacing and greedy.  
  
"What?" Fish's smile disappeared.  
  
"Prawn is there now."  
  
"Washington?"  
  
"No... Cherrytown... safely back where she belongs, that's where you're going too." Twitch could be heard moving.  
  
"No... never, I'm not going back, nor is Rad or Lecter."  
  
"Prove it." She said. Before Fish could move, something hit her back and she joined Rad and Lecter on the floor. She wasn't uncounscious, just sleepy. Rad was coming to and Lecter was attempting to get out of his net. The six doormen entered the scene then. One took Rad to a van, two took Fish to the same van and three got Lecter into another van.  
  
The vans were black and had large cages attached to the back of them. Fish and Rad occupied one and Lecter had his own. He was now out of his net, but had nothing to escape with since the doormen went throught his jacket sleeves and pockets. He was in the crap now. So was Fish and Rad. Luckily for Fish, whatever she'd been given had already worn off and Rad was fully awake. They circled around in their cage, glaring at the doormen. Two larger vans drove around the corner then, one had the words "Cherrytown Institution Moving Unit" on the side. the other had the words "Baltimore State Hospital Moving Unit" on the side. Fish and Rad stared on as the vans neared and several orderlies got out of each, holding restraints and tranquilliser guns.  
  
"Fish." Doctor Lecter said from his cage.   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"It's been fun."  
  
"Yeah, it has." Fish gave him a sad smile.  
  
"Goodbye, Rad."  
  
"Goodbye... doctor Lecter." Rad said, meeting gazes with Lecter. In her eyes, he saw confusion, intelligence, playfulness and hatred.  
  
"One big crazy family." he said to them.  
  
"Totally insane." Fish and Rad chosused. The orderlies got doctor Lector from his cage first, he went without copmplaint, as if he knew it would end like this. He was put into the mask and strait-jacket and then escorted to the van for Baltimore.  
  
Fish and Rad followed his example, glaring at Twitch as they were escorted, cuffed and bound, to their van. Before she got into the van, she muttered something.  
  
"What?" the orderly asked.  
  
"Rad says that Twitchy Eyebrowies is over theres and she stitched us uppy!"   
  
"Yeah, good for her." he said, pushing Fish into the back of the van.  
  
"You don't understand! She's just like-" Fish began, but was cut short by a sharp blow to her stomach.  
  
"Grrrrrrrr!" Rad got angry at the orderly then. He used his can of mace to stall her and got out of the van, locking the doors as he went.  
  
"See ya round..." Twitch waved.  
  
"Hey, you! Wait!" An orderly from the Baltimore van called after her.  
  
"What?" Twitch turned back aound.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Laura Haxell." she answered innocently.  
  
"Where're you from?" he queried.  
  
"Here." she shrugged.  
  
"Where's here?"  
  
"Here is here." she shrugged again. Doctor Lecter could hear all of what was going on from the hand-cart he was strapped to. He mumbled something.  
  
"What was that you said?" another orderly asked him.  
  
"Cherrytown Institution." Lecter spoke up.  
  
"Yeah, what about it?"  
  
"The girl, out there, she's from the institution." he said to the orderly.  
  
"Whatever." the orderly went to leave the van.  
  
"She escaped a long time ago." the doctor stopped him from leaving with that statement.  
  
"You serious." the man turned around.  
  
"Dare you believe a madman?" Lecter asked, raising a brow. He could see the uncertainty in the young man's eyes. "I never lie." Lecter said. "Call her Twitch. You'll see." The orderly vacated the back of the van, locked the door and turned to the stairs of the theatre.  
  
"Hey, Twitch!" he called.  
  
"WHAT NOW?!" she yelled, "Uh-oh." She turned to run, but the orderly was too fast, he grabbed a tranquilliser gun and got a good shot. Twitch fell to the ground, already getting sleepy. Twitch had made the biggest slip-up of her life.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" another orderly yelled at him.  
  
"Go see Lecter." he said and got into the van. Three orderlies from the Cherrytown van went to see if it was really Twitch, the one they'd heard all about. It was. They kitted her out in a spare strait jacket and set her in the van. Fish looked at Twitch and smiled. Rad was already asleep. Fish felt sleepy too, and the mask was all itchy... she couldn't even scratch!  
  
~ Just sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. ~ she told herself as the van began to move. It was to the airport, then to Cherrytown. At least she'd have Rad there, she'd see Prawn again and Twitch... Twitch didn't know what Fish was planning. Maybe she would make her swallow her own tongue. She wondered if Carl was still there.  
  
Lecter felt sleepy, although he was standing, he could sleep.   
  
~ How long will it last this time? ~ he thought to himself, wondering if he would ever be free again. His mask was getting all itchy. He needed to sneeze. The van began it's journey to the airport, from there, he'd be taken to Baltimore again and back to the institution. Rumour was that Chilton wasn't there anymore. He wondered if anybody was in the cell opposite his. He wondered if Barney was still there.  
  
Lecter and Fish... incarcerated once again. Rad... doesn't care... Twitch... nobody cares... Prawn... no doubt she'll continue business as normal from her cell. 


	12. epilogue

Disclaimer: see chapter one.  
  
A/N: and so we come to the epilogue... thanks to all who've reviewed!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Rad! Be careful up there!" Fish called, looking up.  
  
"Woohoo! Ed is having funny fun fun!" Rad's voice sounded from the ceiling of the padded cell.  
  
"I can tell..."  
  
"Yo! Fishpants! Mail!" Carl called from the door. He opened it a bit and gave her the mail. Rad and Fish's cell was the only cell he ever opened, they were like old buddies.  
  
"WOOHOO! Fans!" Fish exclaimed, ignoring the large amount of feathers that dropped and the thud as Rad hit the floor.  
  
"Rad gets maily too?!" Rad queried, walking around on her hands, feet in the air.  
  
"Umm... yeah, here ya go, kid." Carl tossed a large package to Rad.  
  
"WOOHOO!" Rad tore open her package before Fish opened her first letter. It was... pink... it was... a cat... it was... "WOOHOO! KITTY-CHOW CATS!" Rad squealed with glee and hopped around the room, clutching the giant soft toy, picking up her food bowl and using it as a hat. "SEXY HAT!" she yelled and clucked around the cell.  
  
"Right..." Fish nodded at Carl.  
  
"See ya later, Fish, Rad!" Carl called and shut the cell door, locking it.  
  
"Hmmm..." Fish studied her mail in the corner. There was one particular letter, attached to a package. She opened the letter. It was beautifully written, even though it was in red felt tip.  
  
DEAR FISH,  
  
I TRUST YOU ARE WELL IN YOUR INSTITUTION. MY OWN HAS CHANGED SOMEWHAT, BUT I TEND NOT TO WRITE ABOUT MY CURRENT RESIDENCE. THIS PACKAGE IS FOR YOU, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE IT ALREADY, IT IS ONE OF MY OLD PSYCHIATRY BOOKS, I SAW IT AND THOUGHT OF YOU. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.  
  
HAS ANYBODY FIGURED YOU OUT YET?   
  
I WRITE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE FIRST I HAVE LET SO CLOSE. IT WAS FUN, THE TIME WE HAD, FROM THE ASYLUM BACK THEN TO THE FAUST INCIDENT, IT WAS ALL IN THE NAME OF FUN.  
  
I DO HOPE TWITCHY EYEBROWIES, AS RAD NAMED HER, HAS SUFFERED FOR HER LITTLE STUNT. I FELT THE NEED TO MENTION IT, SHE WAS, AFTER ALL, RATHER RUDE.  
  
I SIGN OFF NOW, HAPPY TO BE BACK AT BALTIMORE IN SOME STRANGE WAY.  
  
REGARDS,  
  
YOUR FRIEND,  
  
HANNIBAL LECTER, M.D.  
  
PS: SAY HELLO TO PRAWN FOR ME.  
  
"Whoop!" Fish punched the air and joined in Rad's mad dance around the padded cell.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Peking Prawn sat at her desk, working out which inmates owed her what. She was selling and trading most of the time and was having a good time. Prawn had plans for an auction, held in the recreational lounge at some point.  
  
"PRAWN! LECTER SAID HELLOOOOOOOOOO!" came an echo down the hall.  
  
"WHAT?!" Prawn yelled back.  
  
"HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO, FROM CANNIBAL!" it was Fish, she was hyper...  
  
"WOOHOO! EDWARD IS A TIGER!" so was Rad...   
  
"OKIES!" Prawn yelled back. "Probably hyper on oxygen... again." she chuckled to herself, then she had an idea. "PARALELLOGRAM!" she yelled out to all the inmates, there was a huge chorus of the word 'paralellogram' then. "Back to normal." Prawn said to herself and continued her calculations.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Twitch sat in the corner of her cell. Muttering something. She was broke. Lucy Madden and Catherine Latarche had sued her for all the damage and disruption caused at Faust. Their production had hit the bigtime and was everywhere. Twitch had made many various escape plans, but she knew they would be unsuccessful. Times had changed since she escaped.  
  
"TWITCHY EYEBRIWIES!" Rad could be heard down the dark corridor.  
  
"SHUT IT! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Twitch screamed out of her cell, she laughed nervously then and rocked backwards and forwards in her corner.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Barney sat at the orderly station. He noticed something then, on the security camera screen. It was Lecter, waving madly about something. He sighed and went to the gate, opened it, shut it and went down to the last cell.  
  
"Yes, doctor?"  
  
"Do you have any... Kitty-Chow Cats videos?"  
  
"Uh... why?"  
  
"I want to watch them."  
  
"Uh... doctor, I used to think you were sane but now you've flipped... are you okay?" Barney wondered exactly what Lecter would want with the Kitty-Chow Cats, his daughter loved them and he had a couple of videos in his bag.  
  
"I'm fine. Do you have any?"  
  
"I'll go and get them." Barney fetched his videos and the TV set. He switched on the video.   
  
"Thank-you, Barney."  
  
"When you've had enough... as in when you can't take anymore, wave madly at the camera again." Barney nodded and went back to the station. Doctor Lecter sat on his bunk and watched the cartoon characters on the screen. Absent mindedly, he wondered if Fish and Rad had recieved his packages.  
  
~ Back to life... ~ Lecter thought as he watched the TV, life in Florence HAD seemed a little surreal, maybe he just liked the dungeon...  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
THE END! 


End file.
